For instance, cyber security professionals from RNT once walked into a client's office and discovered passwords had been printed with label makers and stuck to computer monitors.

“That is not a secure password,” Rule said in somewhat of an understatement. “Those workers put their company's information at risk because they weren't practicing good cyber hygiene.”

The lack of good information security practices also could jeopardize any contracts the company had with the federal government, she said.

RNT Professional Services is a disabled military veteran-owned consulting firm that provides vulnerability assessments for clients across the nation.

Clients include government contractors, the payment card industry and small manufacturers that might otherwise seem insulated from the world of computer hackers.

“If you are anywhere and connect to the internet or have any device that has an antenna of any sort, you can be hacked into,” said Rule. “We like to work proactively and not reactively. We like to make sure organizations are able to manage the risks and meet any kind of cyber security incident or event.”

Rule co-founded the company five years ago with her husband, Randy. RNT now employs 18 people, 70 percent of whom are military veterans, as are both Teresa and Randy Rule. Both Rules are U.S. Marine Corps veterans.

RNT is based in the Business Development Center incubator at the Moore Norman Technology Center.

All of RNT's clients are outside of Oklahoma, many in the Washington, D.C., area.

RNT's business model of taking its professional services to out-of-state clients across the nation is a key benefit to Oklahoma's economy, said Connor Cox, programs officer with the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology (OCAST).